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Original poster

I think I'm committing insurance fraud and need to figure out the best way out of it!!

47 replies

KeyboardMash · 02/05/2023 19:08

Way back in the mists of time, when I was a nervous occasional driver and DH was a new driver, we got car insurance with me as the main policy holder and DH as a named driver. I sort of knew this was a bit underhand, but apparently it's full on insurance fraud! 😱 At the time, the intention was always for me to get back into driving. However, my anxiety has only got worse and I basically don't drive now. DH does - with a pretty massive commute now involved. We've always just continued getting insurance with me as the main and him as the named driver - but I've just learned this is insurance fraud and I need to know how to fix this! (You are welcome to call me a moron if you need to get it out of your system, but I would really appreciate some practical advice - I blundered into this and I'm bricking it now!)

I was getting a quote for new insurance today and asked about how much it would be for just DH to be insured on our car (I wasn't sure it would be any cheaper to have me as main driver anymore) but apparently because he's the named driver he therefore has no no-claims bonus. So it will be nearly triple the cost to have him alone insured. (It was after this conversation that I started Googling and found out about fronting.) If we stay with the same insurer he MIGHT get a no-claims bonus for the years he was named driver, although I'm scared to have the conversation in case someone asks a question I'm not prepared for and I say something stupid and drop us in it! To be clear, I want to be above board from this point forward, but I don't want to say "hello, I think I've been committing insurance fraud for a decade or so". I'm not that honest.

I think the safest thing would be to ask the current insurance company what it would cost to switch us as main/named drivers (and say our work commutes are changing a bit) and hope it's not insane. We could always just go with a completely new company but I don't think there's any chance of no-claims then. I'm not very good at this sort of stuff (and DH is fecking useless) so I'm still slightly hoping I'm over-panicking. But I think I need to get it sorted without doing something suspicious like asking to be removed from the policy so we can please pay three times as much! We haven't actually ever claimed anything but I don't know how much difference that makes.

How bad is this?!?!

OP posts:
GCWorkNightmare · 02/05/2023 19:11

It’s not strictly fronting if you’re married.

Original poster
KeyboardMash · 02/05/2023 19:11

Really?!??!

OP posts:
Onekidnoclue · 02/05/2023 19:12

Calm down! Yes technically it’s is insurance fraud but it’s not murder! You made a mistake which we all do and now you’re working to fix it.
just call your insurance company and tell them you’re making plans and want to know your options for insurance and ask for a quote where you’re the other way round. They won’t bat an eyelid. Good luck. X

User18546753 · 02/05/2023 19:12

i don't think it is if you are married, anyway he can't still be a new driver

WhiteFire · 02/05/2023 19:12

You need to put this right going forward, put all his details into an online comparison site and go from there. If necessary change your voluntary excess and see if that helps bring it down.

User18546753 · 02/05/2023 19:15

If he will be the main driver going forward he will need to build up his no claim discount anyway if you aren't going to drive, he surely won't be classed as a new driver now

TeenLifeMum · 02/05/2023 19:18

Many insurance companies give you 2 years no claims as a named driver. Dh had to do this once he got his own car and they were happy with that.

TeenLifeMum · 02/05/2023 19:20

If you have one car per household then I didn’t think it massively mattered who is the first on the insurance. Dh and I swapped cars a few years ago (dh began doing more school runs and parking is tricky where I work). It’s just occurred to me that we’re named incorrectly but I’m not sure it matters. Insurance is joint for both cars with the same company. I’ll check at renewal.

MontyDonsBlueScarf · 02/05/2023 19:23

Ask a broker to help.

For many years our car was insured with DH as the main driver and me as the additional named driver. DH developed cancer and as a result drove less and less. Eventually he really didn't drive at all, but I kept him on the policy in case he ever needed to move the car from A to B when I wasn't around. A broker found an insurance company who was willing to transfer the no claims bonus from him to me. I got the impression that more than one company would have done this.

No-one ever asked me how long he hadn't been driving for.

Original poster
KeyboardMash · 02/05/2023 19:23

Okay, calming down slightly! Thank you, sensible people.

The quote I got today (which was from a different company, and just a "let's see what the difference is" query) was about £550 for me as main driver and him as named, but £1400 for him as main driver only - apparently because he's been named driver so doesn't get any no-claims bonus. It's a frightening amount, but we might just have to suck it up. My hope was that it would be less with the current company as apparently he might get some no-claims bonus (according to a cursory Google). It felt like the guy on the phone was asking a lot of questions when I asked about what it would cost for DH alone - possibly because he was just aware it wasn't going to be a good price, and couldn't understand why I'd started out asking for a quote with the current arrangement.

I think I need to speak to the current company as a first step.

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 02/05/2023 19:23

Don’t worry.

Call up your current insurer and tell them that you aren’t driving much currently now you’re working from home, so your DH does the most mileage now - then ask them if he should be the main driver. They’ll say yes. Then hopefully they’ll also offer you a decent deal with him accruing some NCB.

You’ll have to sort it at one point or another and swallow a more expensive year so may as well be now.

Bumfluffs · 02/05/2023 19:24

I wouldn’t worry op. I worked in insurance for 20 years. They would have to prove that your DH was the main user and I don’t see how they would.
The term is fronting, but the insurance company I worked for (very large) were more concerned with parents insurance card for young drivers. Don’t think I ever saw a fraud case for a husband and wife policy and main user etc.

My DH and I are registered owners of a car each, but we’re both main users of the other car if that makes sense. We cannot be bothered to change it. My DH works in insurance and we’re not concerned in the slightest.

Amicompletelyinsane · 02/05/2023 19:25

I spoke to insurer about this. As both cars are in husbands name but we both drive.they didn't really care about it. I'd lose no sleep

NoSquirrels · 02/05/2023 19:25

You should still be a named driver though - that will reduce the premium as they’ll count your NCB favourably on the policy. A named driver often reduces premiums - and you should carry on being insured anyway in case you do need to drive.

bookgirl1982 · 02/05/2023 19:25

It would be cheaper to switch then move to just him on the policy - having a named driver spreads the risk.

declutteringmymind · 02/05/2023 19:27

Yep put yourself as a named driver. I'm in DH's and I never drive it but it's always handy to be able to in emergencies and it makes it cheaper for him.

Doggymummar · 02/05/2023 19:30

I've never found NCD makes much difference anyway. Maybe because I've been driving 30 plus years? It costs my £20 extra to out my oh on the policy but he hasn't driven the car ever, it's just for emergencies

BarbaraofSeville · 02/05/2023 19:31

GCWorkNightmare · 02/05/2023 19:11

It’s not strictly fronting if you’re married.

Of course it is. You need to be honest about who is the main driver. Being married is irrelevant. What if the DH was a terrible driver or had loads of convictions etc and they carried on saying the OP was the main driver and he hardly ever drove the car, it would be misrepresenting the risk. Don't forget that if he crashes the car, they could look very closely into how much he drives it, and this is very easy to prove given that nearly all drivers movements are tracked by their phone.

They could see what the quotes look like in the OPs name (so using her NCB) but stating DH as the main driver. Or he could buy his own insurance and put the OP as the second driver, this could reduce the premium significantly, OP you just have to do as many comparisons as you can, look at Moneysaving Expert for details of their 'system' to cover as many insurance companies as possible. The one off quote you've had so far may not be representative of the best price.

BarbaraofSeville · 02/05/2023 19:33

Doggymummar · 02/05/2023 19:30

I've never found NCD makes much difference anyway. Maybe because I've been driving 30 plus years? It costs my £20 extra to out my oh on the policy but he hasn't driven the car ever, it's just for emergencies

Same here. I was a company car driver so didn't have my own insurance for about 20 years. WHen I gave it up, I was worried about how much my insurance would be, but it was about £200 in the end, but likely because I'm middle aged and drive a tiny, dull, underpowered car not very far and don't have any accidents or convictions.

User18546753 · 02/05/2023 19:37

Don't worry about the past, just change the insurance going forward, it will cost more because of the no claims but all drivers have to go through that

BritishDesiGirl · 02/05/2023 19:37

Insurance companies aren't allowed to tell you who should be the main or named driver. They can't give recommendations.

What you can do is just tell them your husband is going to be the named driver- there's no need to mention that he's driving more. If they ask why you are making the change then tell them that he will be driving more which is why your maki g the change.

Aaron95 · 02/05/2023 19:43

Don't waste your time phoning insurers or waste money on a broker. Go onto one of the comparison websites, plug on all the details and get a raft of quotes for the different scenarios. You will get 50+ quotes in less time than you spend on hold to a call centre and will be astonished at the range of prices you get.

Reallybadidea · 02/05/2023 19:49

If you're the registered keeper then it's absolutely fine for the policy to be in your name with your no claims bonus and your DH as a named driver then lots of policies will ask who is the main driver. Just put your DH and then you're completely covered and no possibility of fraud, fronting of anything else.

GCWorkNightmare · 02/05/2023 19:52

BarbaraofSeville · 02/05/2023 19:31

Of course it is. You need to be honest about who is the main driver. Being married is irrelevant. What if the DH was a terrible driver or had loads of convictions etc and they carried on saying the OP was the main driver and he hardly ever drove the car, it would be misrepresenting the risk. Don't forget that if he crashes the car, they could look very closely into how much he drives it, and this is very easy to prove given that nearly all drivers movements are tracked by their phone.

They could see what the quotes look like in the OPs name (so using her NCB) but stating DH as the main driver. Or he could buy his own insurance and put the OP as the second driver, this could reduce the premium significantly, OP you just have to do as many comparisons as you can, look at Moneysaving Expert for details of their 'system' to cover as many insurance companies as possible. The one off quote you've had so far may not be representative of the best price.

Show quote history

But any payout would be legally 50/50 anyway due to their relationship status. So it makes no difference. (Not the case with unmarried couples or parents/children.)

We have 3 cars insured and it makes no difference whatsoever which of us is named driver or main driver.

Not to mention that I’ve worked in insurance for a very long time.

Curlyfluff · 02/05/2023 19:56

Sorry to ask a question here but......I don't drive, never have I don't even have a licence. I am a named driver on my husband's motor insurance!

We are currently separated (he's a nasty violent man) and I have no idea about these things, nor why I was even on it as he never allowed me to learn.

Does it work out cheaper for him? I would love to be off it, and if it meant it cost him more that would be an absolute bonus. And if it got him into trouble, even better!